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Tag: Kimani Randolph

  • Last-minute plea deal gives Citrus Heights Rite Aid robber 15 years to life

    Sentinel staff report–
    The trial was set to finally begin this week for the main suspect in a 2017 Rite Aid robbery in Citrus Heights that left an 87-year-old woman dead, but prosecutors offered Kimani Eli Randolph a last-minute plea deal he accepted just before the trial was set to begin on Monday.

    Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Shelly Orio confirmed in an email to The Sentinel that Randolph plead no-contest to second-degree murder, along with two counts of robbery and burglary. He is now scheduled to be sentenced on April 5, where Orio said he is expected to be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

    From 2017: Elderly woman killed in Rite Aid robbery remembered as humble, loving

    “This was a tragic case that resulted in the senseless loss of a completely uninvolved victim simply trying to walk into the store,” Citrus Heights Police Chief Ron Lawrence told The Sentinel following the outcome of Monday’s plea deal. “While nothing can bring the victim back, I am pleased to see the defendant sentenced for his actions.”

    On Nov. 27, 2017, police said Randolph and two accomplices entered the Rite Aid store at the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Van Maren Lane, jumped the counter of the pharmacy and demanded prescription drugs. After grabbing an undisclosed amount of drugs, the trio ran out of the store, knocking over Marilyn Ann Stribley as she was walking into the store. She died several days later in the hospital.

    Citrus Heights police said tips from the community soon resulted in Randolph being identified and arrested in Las Vegas, with the help of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

    Police say one of the three suspects is still outstanding. Another of the trio, Jakob Johns, is now in prison after committing a “near-identical heist” in Merced County, according to The Sacramento Bee.

    Asked for an update on the investigation, Chief Lawrence said the Citrus Heights Police Department is continuing its investigation for the remaining at-large suspect. He remains hopeful the third individual will be identified and “held accountable for their participation in this crime.”

  • Citrus Heights Rite Aid robbery suspect’s bail set at $1M; battery charge added

    Citrus Heights Rite Aid robbery suspect’s bail set at $1M; battery charge added

    Kimani Randolph
    Suspect Kimani Randolph is one of three suspects believed to have robbed a Citrus Heights Rite Aid on Nov. 27, 2017. // Images courtesy, CHPD

    Sentinel staff report–
    The 21-year-old suspect accused of fatally knocking down an elderly woman during a Citrus Heights Rite Aid robbery in November now faces an additional felony charge of battery, with more charges likely to be added next month as well.

    Suspect Kimani Eli Randolph was extradited to Sacramento after being arrested in Las Vegas last month and is now held in the Sacramento County Main Jail on $1 million bail. Although police said he was initially charged only with robbery and a probation violation when he was arrested on Dec. 7, court records show an additional charge of battery “causing serious bodily injury” has now been added — an expected move in light of the woman’s death stemming from the robbery.

    Randolph is now charged with three felonies related to the Nov. 27 robbery, and according to The Sacramento Bee prosecutors are also considering additional charges related to the death of Marilynn Stribley, the 87-year-old woman he is accused of knocking down while fleeing the robbery scene.

    Court records show Randolph was appointed a public defender and arraigned on Dec. 27, followed by a brief settlement conference on Jan. 3 that was continued until next month. The records also indicate he plead no-contest to felony grand theft in a prior shoplifting incident, and police said he was also on probation for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    Two other suspects in the robbery are still sought by police, but Randolph is believed to be the primary suspect who physically knocked over the elderly woman.

    Citrus Heights Councilman Jeff Slowey last month credited the police department for diligent work in apprehending one of the suspects and said he has “all the confidence in the world” that the remaining suspects will also be arrested.

    “Through diligent hard work by the Citrus Heights PD, they were not only able to identify the folks, but one of them was caught in Vegas,” Slowey said in a public comment during the city’s Dec. 14 council meeting. “I think it makes us all feel safer when we see something, you know, as innocent as someone going shopping and not going home at the end of the day, so thank you for that.”

    As previously reported on The Sentinel, police said a 911 call was received around 5:50 p.m. on Nov. 27 regarding the robbery at the Rite Aid store on the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Van Maren Lane. After arriving on scene, officers determined that three suspects had jumped the counter of the pharmacy and demanded prescription drugs. Police said employees feared for their safety and handed over “an undisclosed amount of prescription drugs.”

    While fleeing the scene, video shows one fleeing suspect run into Stribley as she entered the store. Police said she was knocked unconscious after falling backward and died several days after the incident.

    Related: Elderly woman killed in Rite Aid robbery remembered as humble, loving

    Anyone with information about the identity of the suspects involved is asked to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5500, or using the department’s anonymous tip line at (916) 727-5524. The Rite Aid Corporation previously announced it had offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robbery suspects.